Bromley Council orders landowner to replant felled oak bushes on ‘a lot beloved, mini woodland web site’

A London council has ordered a landowner to replant bushes felled to make means for out of doors sports activities fields.

Conservationists declare 131 bushes have been illegally felled within the woodland adjoining to Cator Park in Bromley.

The leaseholder, Prince Choudary, informed Sky News that fewer than 40 trees have been minimize down earlier than the council served him with tree preservation orders (TPOs).

“The land has been in the family for 15 years,” he stated. “It has sports ground permission so I want to do sports activities there for the local community.”

Mr Choudary, a soccer coach, stated kids want out of doors areas to observe and play soccer and his indoor academy in Camberwell has run out of house.

“We get a lot of players from the Bromley area and Orpington so it’s difficult for them to go to Camberwell,” he stated.

“All these trees that have been cut down were going to be replanted on the side to make it more beautiful. We wanted a nice sports pitch in the middle and two small pitches on the side.”

The firm which owns the land, Hopeson Group Limited, stated the lease was “granted with a view to create sports facilities for participants of all ages”.

Mr Choudary has accused native residents of attempting to drive him away to allow them to use the house to stroll their canines.

He agreed to satisfy Sky News on the web site provided that safety was supplied, saying the dispute has grow to be so poisonous that locals set their canines on him.

Security guard in tow, he confirmed us the location’s entrance.

“This is where they broke the lock,” he stated, pointing to a latch on the gate that has been minimize off.

As Mr Choudary pointed to the damaged lock, a canine walker opened the gate and entered the land, earlier than closing it behind her and strolling off.

Ricardo Gama, senior affiliate at Leigh Day solicitors, has warned that such conflicts might grow to be widespread.

“It’s becoming more common for these sorts of issues to arise,” he stated. “As people start to realise the value of trees and communities wake up to the value of trees, they’re taking steps to protect trees, to process, to campaign and to look into legal issues.”

Mr Gama stated councils typically difficulty TPOs earlier than a landowner is made conscious of the order.

“The TPO takes effect as soon as the order is made and before the council has informed the landowner,” he stated.

“Once the council has made this, they must notify the landowner and the landowner has certain limited rights.”

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Disputes over TPOs will not be unusual.

In June, Sheffield metropolis council issued an open apology following a bitter dispute over the felling of 1000’s of avenue bushes.

Earlier this yr, Plymouth metropolis council chief Richard Bingley introduced his resignation after ordering the felling of greater than 100 bushes to make means for a £12m regeneration scheme within the metropolis centre.

In Bromley, native resident Anita Hocking informed Sky News she’s been utilizing Prince Choudary’s leaseheld land to stroll her canines for 18 years.

“Personally I don’t feel (Prince Choudary) is responsible enough to (operate) the land as it is,” she stated. “We have to respect that he (is the leaseholder), and if he locked the gate, I wouldn’t break in because I’m not the owner of it.”

Another girl allowed her daughter to select berries. “We’re going to make blackberry jam – thought we’d start early on our Christmas presents,” she stated.

Local residents are supporting conservationists in calls to retain the woodland for dog-walking and wildlife.

Anne Taylor, director of the conservation group CPRE, informed Sky News: “I hope the (leaseholder) will realise what has happened here means he can never develop it or use it for any income-generating purpose and hopefully (release) this land – hopefully to someone like a philanthropist or an environmental body.

“We’re actually eager that this needs to be now restored (and) preserved as a group woodland.”

Bromley Council told Sky News it is investigating the felling of protected trees.

“As a part of our sturdy and methodological response to this desperately unhappy incident, we now have now additionally notified the landowner of a authorized requirement to replant oak bushes on this a lot beloved, mini woodland web site,” it said in a statement.

Hopeson Group Limited said it was “joyful to work with the council to resolve any issues which they might have”.